


I Have the Perfect Idea

by mage_cat



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, Halloween Costumes, Honestly this started as a excuse to get Catra into the femme fatale dress and spiraled from there, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-01-15 23:28:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21261392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mage_cat/pseuds/mage_cat
Summary: When the royal family of Bright Moon holds a costume party for close friends as part of the annual harvest celebration, Adora and Catra have no idea what they could go as. Glimmer knows exactly what she thinks they should wear.





	1. Getting Ready

Peace was nice after what could honestly be called an overly eventful year. Seeing stars in the skies of Etheria hadn’t lost its novelty yet, but to the people of Bright Moon, the stars were a minor miracle compared to the reunion of their royal family. Not only was it a matter of Queen Angella’s release from holding the dimensional barrier closed once it could safely be dropped, but it was also the discovery that King Micah had been alive on Beast Island since the fall of the first Alliance. His release had been a first peace offering from Catra and Hordak to show the sincerity of their offer to help repel Horde Prime’s forces.

The most public result of this reunion was a greater exuberance to the annual events, and the harvest festival was shaping up to continue the trend. While celebrations of the harvest had common themes throughout Etheria, including costumes and, of course, enjoying all the food that had just been gathered, the holiday was always a bigger event in Bright Moon than elsewhere. After all, with the harvest came longer nights, and longer nights meant a greater prominence of the moons the kingdom was named for in the sky.

At some point it had been decided that, once the day’s public celebrations were done, the royal family would be hosting a smaller costume party for close friends. Everyone invited immediately agreed to attend. They hadn’t realized how much they had been using Rebellion planning meetings as an excuse to get together until there was no more Rebellion to plan.

The costume party, however, did present a problem for Adora and Princess Catra of the newly reformed kingdom of Halfmoon. Costumes, like parties, had very much not been part of their Horde upbringing, and they were completely stumped about what they should wear.

Upon hearing this, Glimmer spent a moment staring into the middle distance before declaring, “I have the perfect idea.”

* * *

It was now an hour before the party was supposed to start and trusting Glimmer’s perfect idea was beginning to make Catra antsy. She hadn’t been thrilled at the thought of giving Glimmer control over her image for the evening, and now she was cutting it close to the wire.

She paced around Adora’s room in Bright Moon while her girlfriend watched. No one saw any reason to pretend that she would be spending the night anywhere else. Just as she was about to give up, put on the jacket she had acquired during her time in the Crimson Waste, and pray that didn’t somehow offend Huntara, who would also be at the party, Glimmer teleported into view.

She dropped the two bags in her arms onto the floor, said “Hi! Here you go. Costumes. Bye!” and blinked away with her customary shower of sparkles.

“Getting the party ready must be keeping her busy,” said Adora.

“Well, let’s see what her great ideas are.” The bags were clearly labeled with their names. When Catra reached into hers, the first thing her hand found was velvet, nearly the same texture as the shortest parts of her fur. She pulled out a bundle of black fabric, leaving the bag less than half full. When she shook it out, it turned out to be a long, sleeveless dress. She grimaced slightly. “I always feel like skirts will get in the way if I have to really move, but I guess I can put up with it for one party, and if the point of a costume is to not look like ourselves putting me in a dress sure does do that.”

“That’s for sure.” Adora had, in fact, never seen Catra in anything remotely resembling a skirt.

“Still, I think I get the sort of character she’s aiming for with this, and it is a fun one. Playing up the slinky sex kitten angle does make people so deliciously uncomfortable.”

Adora could guess where she had picked up that phrasing. "Double Trouble is a horrible influence on you."

"Oh, please, you can’t blame Double. I had been using that ploy on you for years. They just helped me realize that it could work on other people."

The next thing she pulled out was a shawl that glinted like red and gold flame where the light caught it and radiated a soft warmth, a small charmed protection against the expected evening's chill to make up for the fact that the dress would leave Catra's arms and upper chest uncovered. There were also a choker and a headband the same black velvet as the dress. After that, all that was left was a small tube of what quickly revealed itself to be dark lipstick.

“Do you know how to use that?” Adora asked, remembering her own need to surrender herself to Glimmer’s makeup skills for the Princess Prom.

“You really think I never experimented with cosmetics?”

It was a fair point. The Horde may not have cared much for aesthetics, but it hadn’t taken that much interacting with the wider world of Etheria for it to become clear that Catra’s looks were a tool worth leveraging. Completely ignoring a potential enhancement of that tool would have been out of character for her, even if she had apparently concluded in the end that it wasn’t worth the trouble.

“It’s like the dress,” Catra said. “Not terribly practical, but I can put up with it for one party.” She put the lipstick down on the vanity next to the pile of clothing. “Now let’s see what’s in yours.”

Inside Adora's bag were a cap, jacket, and trousers, all in dark blue. Two rows of copper buttons would hold the jacket closed, and the front of the cap was decorated with a badge of the same metal on which the words "City Watch" were clearly emblazoned.

“Looks like Glimmer isn’t so interested in making you not look like yourself. You were born to be in uniform.”

“Don’t remind me. Thank goodness for bad influences.” It might not have been in Adora’s nature to question orders, but life had seen fit to throw her in with people who did. Etheria would have been much worse off at this moment if that wasn’t the case.

“That’s right. Question authority.”

“That’s hilarious coming from you, considering how much work you put into becoming authority.”

“I simply like to have my natural leadership qualities recognized,” Catra said with mock primness. “And people are free to question me. The day I get out of line about that, I’m sure Swift Wind will be happy to deliver me a swift kick in the ass.”

Adora let the implication that her horse was a superior moral authority slide. “Be careful then. I would hate to see that ass get damaged.”

At the bottom of the bag were a pair of short black boots and a belt with a pouch attached. Catra, ever a curious cat, opened the pouch and removed the item inside.

It was a pair of handcuffs. “Whatever happens tonight, at no point will I be wearing these,” she said.

“Of course not,” replied Adora.

Restraints reminded Catra of the immobility fields Shadow Weaver had often used on her, making them a swift mood killer. The two of them had discussed the topic at the prompting of a book Spinnerella had slipped to Adora shortly after her relationship with Catra had become public knowledge saying, “I don’t know what you learned about this growing up where you did, but I’m willing to bet that you could use a little supplemental education.”

The book had, in fact, been very helpful.

They undressed. After a lifetime of communal showers, simple nudity wasn't anything to be embarrassed about. There wasn’t a single inch of the other’s body they had not seen thousands of times.

Catra quickly ran into a problem. “Hey Adora, a little help? I may be more flexible than a human, but even I can’t work these buttons.”

As Catra held up the front of the dress, Adora could see that it opened in back, the slit running far enough down that her tail would be comfortably settled at the bottom of it. About a dozen tiny buttons would hold it closed, but another pair of hands really was needed.

Adora pushed Catra’s hair over her shoulder, then trailed her fingers along the dark stripe that ran from the nape of her neck and down her spine, stopping to scritch the top of the base of her tail. Catra let out a small gasp as her back arched in response.

She swatted Adora’s hand away. “Stop that, you’re supposed to be getting me into this thing, not making me want to do naked things with you on the bed.”

“I couldn’t resist,” Adora said, planting a kiss on the bare side of her neck. “It means a lot to me that you trust me with your open back again.”

“I know what you mean,” Catra said, letting her body relax against Adora’s for a moment before straightening up again. “Now button me up. The sooner we get to the party, the sooner we can come back here and do naked things on the bed.”

Even with that encouragement, Adora did up the buttons slowly. Nudity may not have held any intrinsic thrill, but touch? Touch that was tender and lingering? That still held a little thrill of the forbidden, like they were getting away with something. Better still that the real fears of the Horde’s anti-fraternization policies were gone.

When Adora announced the final button done, Catra turned around and then smirked at the sight of Adora’s stare.

“My eyes are up here.”

“Sorry, I just... didn’t know your breasts could do that,” Adora said, though the apology came across as somewhat insincere due to the fact that her gaze did not actually move.

In her experience, bust support pretty much entirely meant keeping them out of the way. Something about how the bodice of Catra’s dress was cut instead pushed them up and out while pushing them together to create a noticeable valley that had never existed before. Adora found herself wanting to bury her face there.

Catra placed a finger under Adora’s chin and tilted her head up until their eyes met. “Do you want any help from me with your costume, or can I move on to putting the finishing touches on mine?”

“If you help me with my costume, we might never make it out of this room.”

“That would disappoint my mother. She says I need to practice my diplomacy skills, and parties like this one are the best practice I can get.”

“We better get moving then.”

As Adora buttoned up her jacket, Catra settled in front of the mirror and hesitated for a moment before removing the headpiece she habitually wore. For years it had simply been the best thing she had ever had for keeping her hair out of her face. Now she knew that her being given it had been part of a surrender treaty her mother had signed. It was an heirloom of her people, designed to draw attention to the heterochromia that ran in the royal family. Even before she had known, there had been something comforting about wearing it, and she felt oddly exposed without it, but she had been assured that no one else would be wearing any markers of their rank either. She carefully placed it aside and put on the headscarf, choker, and lipstick.

She pulled the shawl around her shoulders as she stood up. “How do I look?”

“Like that outfit is supposed to include a garter with a knife sheath.”

“I do not need to explain why it would be in poor taste for me to even pretend to try and smuggle a weapon into this party. Even if I had pulled Angella out of the dimensional void myself instead of just helping, I wouldn’t be that forgiven.”

Adora pulled on her cap, having already tied her hair into a low ponytail so as not to interfere with the headgear. “You’ll get there. How do I look?” she asked, giving the jacket a final tug.

“Like you could make me snap to attention and be happy about it.” The blue brought out the color of her eyes while the cut displayed her figure in a way that gave her an air of authority. The effect wasn’t as imposing as She-ra, but that was all for the better as far as Catra was concerned. “Care to escort me to the party, officer?”

“With pleasure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, the happy couple think they look good, but what are Glimmer's motivations for these choices? Find out in chapter two!  
I'm trying not to clog up the narrative with too many of my theories about how the show will end. I hope nothing is too confusing or wordy.


	2. At the Party

When they entered the rooms where the party was being held, Angella and Micah were greeting guests by the door. Glimmer and Angella were still working out how exactly things should work in a kingdom that technically had two queens, but this party was a clear chance for the royal parents to give their daughter a night off without undermining the authority she had fought hard to attain. Angella was wearing the robe and draperies that were considered the traditional dress of her species. Micah was kitted out to look like one of the monsters that inhabited Beast Island.

“You two make a wonderful Felina and Captain Copper,” Angela said after the standard hellos. “Glimmer and Bow have been doing partner costumes for so long. I’m sure Glimmer has been excited to plan for a larger group, though she was very cagey about it.”

Catra’s ears flattened as the names clicked into place. There were some stories sunk deep enough into Etherian culture that not even the Horde could keep its young people from learning at least a rough outline. She straightened her expression. This conversation was the one thing tonight most likely to make its way back to her mother, and she was determined to play at least a half-decent diplomat for it. “We were happy for the guiding hand. We really didn’t have any ideas of our own, being so unused to the tradition.”

“I would love to see your mother’s reaction to that outfit,” Micah said. He and her mother had become close friends during the time they had both been on Beast Island. He may have known her better than any other living person, including her sense of humor.

“It would likely be the same one I had when I first saw it, a hope that tonight will be peaceful because I have no idea if I can do anything more vigorous than dance with this dress on.”

Adora decided to cut in before that particular line of joking could go any further. “We have a Vigilantene to hunt down. Bow is Tinker tonight, right?”

“Of course,”Angella said. “Go enjoy yourselves.”

The pair walked on with their eyes open for the young queen of Bright Moon in a distinctive magenta and black outfit.

* * *

On the far side of the large room stood their quarry, nervously clutching a cup of punch.

Bow, who was dressed up as Vigilantene’s chief source of useful gadgets, followed her line of sight. “Glimmer, does this have anything to do with that fan fiction you wrote when we were sixteen that you swore me to secrecy about?” She had been as cagey with him regarding the costumes she was acquiring for Adora and Catra as she had been with everyone else.

“Maybe,” she squeaked. She hissed into Bow’s ear, “This was a terrible idea! The prelude to my favorite sex fantasy is walking around in front of everybody. They are talking to my parents!”

“Calm down,” he said evenly. “I have twelve older brothers. I have stumbled across more than one porn stash in my life, and I can promise you that, as sex fantasies go, yours is so tame that the only way anyone is going to notice is if you act weird about it.”

Glimmer took a deep breath and tried to consider the costumes without the filter of her lust.

Yes, Catra was in a slinky black dress that had a high slit that showed off her legs and that was cut to do frankly amazing things for her tits, but they were perfectly tasteful amounts of leg and cleavage. The dress itself would have gone completely unremarked upon at any ball. If Catra looked like sex walking, well, Catra could just as easily inspire someone towards carnal thoughts while wearing the druid robe Perfuma had come to the party in if she put her mind to it.

Yes, Adora’s jacket was cut to show off the strong line of her shoulders and her trim waist, but that was just what good tailoring did. It was also only natural that it played so well off the straight-backed military bearing that Adora fell into so easily, commanding attention. If anything, when Adora had even a drop of certainty about the proper course of action, she was frequently in a struggle to _not_ look and act like someone who must be obeyed. Thank goodness. That air of upright authority could be fun in fantasy, but it was intolerable to live with. Even in fantasy, the fun was in seeing what it took to make that uprightness bend.

Bow was right, even if Adora and Catra announced to everyone that the costumes had been her idea, no one was going to find anything odd about her choices. At least they wouldn’t if she could keep calm. Could she keep calm?

If Bow was remembering correctly that they had been sixteen when she had first written down her fantasy about Felina and Copper’s unlikely team-up to pursue Vigilantene for all three’s mutual sexual satisfaction, then she had been playing the story over and over in her head for over four years, and the replays had only become more frequent once two people had entered her life who played so smoothly into the archetypes.

Vigilantene was someone who brought justice to places the law couldn’t touch. If she walked the fine line between the forces of order and chaos, Copper and Felina were the personifications of those forces. You could tell a lot about an author’s worldview by which of the three got the most sound arguments in their work. The best would admit to a messy muddle of grays.

Glimmer had been living in the thick of that muddle ever since she had first encountered the then-unknowing agent of the First Ones’ power to control Etheria and had through her met wildfire in the shape of a girl. Strict order and feral chaos locked together with Glimmer in the middle, getting hot under the collar with every fight.

She had kept herself together so far. She could keep it up for this evening. She hoped so anyway.

* * *

“Do you think I should be offended that, given the chance, Glimmer decks me out as the leader of a legendary criminal organization?”

“Nah, she got me to read her favorite Vigilantene novel once. That Felina was less ‘heartless agent of chaos’ than someone who targeted people who could bounce back from a shake up.”

“And what did this particular novel have to say about Captain ‘The Only Justice is Through Law’?”

“A reminder that unjust laws can be changed.”

“Alright then. It’s not like I’m the only person here dressed as someone unsavory. Unless I miss my guess, Sea Hawk and Mermista are supposed to be King Triton and Pirate Queen Marina.”

“Kinda weird to dress up as two of Mermista’s ancestors.”

“Would be if it weren’t already a poplar couple costume, especially in Salineas. Who doesn’t love a romance that begins with love at first navel battle? Besides that was--what?--four hundred years ago? It’s not like they’re anyone Mermista’s ever met.”

“I guess you have a point.” Adora continued to scan the room. “Oh hey, there’s Bow, and I think that’s Glimmer. Why would she be hiding behind one of the pumpkin lanterns?”

* * *

Adora and Catra made their way across the room with what seemed to Glimmer like painful slowness, being repeatedly waylaid by conversations with one friend or another. She stayed rooted to her spot, dreading how she might act once caught into a conversation with them. Bow was keeping her company like a champ. As long as he was talking, she could pretend she couldn’t hear the other conversations in the room. She could pretend she didn’t know that Adora and Catra were playing into the roles she had chosen for them for the evening in accordance to their acting skills, meaning that Adora was not actually trying and Catra was playing things to the hilt, purring half of what she said. Everyone was having a good laugh about it. Glimmer was pretty sure her face was roughly the same color as her magenta shirt.

Catra walked up, her hips swaying, and placed a hand on Glimmer’s shoulder. “My darling Vigilantene, I do believe you’re blushing.” She leaned towards Glimmer’s ear and stage whispered, “Ya didn’t think this all the way through, did ya Sparkles?”

Crap. The royal family of Halfmoon may have made a mask part of their regalia to highlight their mismatched eyes, but some symbolism must have sunk in at some point, because Catra could switch personas easy as breathing. And she was far too good at choosing ones that made Glimmer want Catra to go down on her.

Bow suddenly became very interested in the other side of the room. “Oh hey! Entrapta just came in. I’m going to go say hi!”

“Bow!” Glimmer called out as he hurriedly walked away. “Don’t...”

He called back, “You made this bed. Lie in it.”

“Wait, what?” Adora said.

Crap. She was being clueless and adorable. Did Glimmer want her to realize what was happening? If she did, would she egg on Catra? Would that be a good thing or a bad thing?”

Catra boosted herself to sit on a nearby table and crossed her legs. The motion caused the skirt to fall so that the entire publicly acceptable length of them was showing. Glimmer swallowed.

“You know I actually have a canned speech about how the beast-kin species of Etheria are often stereotyped as less civilized and more prone to violence and criminal behavior and the harm caused by perpetuating that view? I think it’s a pretty good speech. Swift Wind helped me with it.”

Glimmer felt her face burning. There had never been a consensus about which feline species Felina had belonged to, if she had any grounding in real history at all, but she was always feline and by far the most prominent beast-kin character in the Vigilantene stories. In short, the character Catra was dressed as was also a tidy example of something that apparently annoyed her enough to have a prepared rant about it.

Catra smiled. A real smile that softened her eyes. “You are so cute when you’re flustered.” She pitched her voice so only Glimmer and Adora could hear her. “These are good costumes. Adora and I almost didn’t make it to the party. Seeing each other dressed like this made us want to get up to distracting intimate business. We’re holding off until the party winds down. Care to join us?”

Glimmer looked between the two of them, the high color draining from her face and changing into something closer to normal. “Are you serious?”

Adora bit her lip. “We’ve talked about it. Not, like, today but...” It was another conversation prompted by the book Spinnerella had given her. “We have a list of people we would make the offer to. It’s short, and you’re on it.”

“Bow’s not,” Catra added. “Mostly because neither of us is into men. Partly because we’re pretty sure he would be more scared than aroused by the offer.”

Adora smiled. “But we know you like a challenge.”

“That I do.” A smile was growing on Glimmer’s face. “The party still has a couple more hours before I can leave.”

“We can be patient,” Catra purred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first try at Mature fic, and scenes heavy on action aren't my forte at any rating level. If I have you invested enough to want to read the night's conclusion, a.k.a. the actual sex scene, drop something in the comments. I need the encouragement.


End file.
